Long before Jesse Perez served his first lobster soft taco, expectations for his Arcade Midtown Kitchen were incredibly high, at a level rarely seen in San Antonio.

Perez has national ambitions for himself and his team at Arcade, and this restaurant is already beginning to achieve them.

It's a very good restaurant, to be sure. But more than that, it's also an important one in this city's efforts to become known as a culinary center.

His lobster taco, a signature dish, is phenomenal. Pieces of lobster meat sit nestled inside a crêpe enlivened with a bit of corn masa and topped with a poblano cream sauce. It has the Southwestern roots that launched Perez into prominence, but the flavors are more controlled.

Perez, for the uninitiated, first made a name for himself doing Southwestern cuisine here in his hometown heading the kitchen at Francesca's at Sunset at the Westin La Cantera. Stints in Atlanta and Los Angeles helped him refine his culinary philosophy, and his approach is stronger for it.

The lobster dish alone would make a restaurant noteworthy, but the menu features a roster of big flavors that can surprise, delight and sometimes amaze with a “How did he do that?”

One of them has already converted several diners I know into scallop lovers. He plates the well-seared scallops on top of green chile grits and tops them with a bit of pico de gallo and a smoked bacon salsa. There's a lot going on in this plate, but none of the elements feels out of place.

His treatment of a rib-eye coaxes more flavor out of the cut than plenty of steakhouses can. Served with roasted cauliflower and small potatoes and a lime and smoked jalapeño butter, it has a depth of flavor that outdoes many other steaks at twice the price or more. The accompanying grilled tomato could anchor a dish by itself.

The upscale restaurant staple of lamb chops has a sense of vibrant energy. They're served on top of a sweet potato puree that's nowhere near cloying and features what Perez calls a pasilla fig mole. The sweet, savory and umami senses balance beautifully with a bit of heat. Only a few undercooked green beans marred the dish.

Considering his career path, it's not surprising that Perez incorporates chiles for their flavor and allows the touches of heat to shine through. But his use of chiles reflects considerable thought, skill and balance.

The wild mushroom and herbed goat cheese flatbread beautifully demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of flavors and textures. The meaty mushrooms are first cooked lightly in a mixture that includes chipotles, which contrast with the soft goat cheese, a few baby spinach leaves and meltingly tender caramelized onions. It all comes together with a sauce Perez calls salsa verde but which tastes reminiscent of a cilantro pesto.

You owe it to yourself to try the Arcade Burger, available only at lunch. The caramelized onions add juiciness, texture and an umami blast to the already juicy beef patty. Although I'm not a fan of American cheese, it works here.

Even his take on calamari is nearly a revelation. At first, it looks like it's under-fried but the light-colored batter is crisp, with enough seasoning to stand on its own, and it protects the tender meat. Underneath the mound of squid is a small pool of a house-made Thai-inspired sweet-sour-hot sauce.

Once Perez feels more comfortable with this menu and his team's execution of it, I'd like to see him explore more flavors from other parts of the world. Just imagine what he'd do with some Ras El Hanout from North Africa or some Merken from Chile.

Perez's menu goes great with a glass of something sparkling. Better yet, order a cocktail from bar manager Christopher Ware. The barrel-aged cocktails are something special.

The level of service, led by general manager Winnie Mak, is relaxed yet refined. Like some of the best service, servers here can step up the formality or relax it to reflect the mood of a table.

This restaurant is a total package of high-level food, service, atmosphere and drinks, with enough of a sense of place that it could only happen here in San Antonio.

Although nearly every aspect of our visits was superb, minor tweaks are needed, such as seating parties more smoothly, or perfecting the execution of dishes consistently. Knowing Perez and his team, they probably have already identified and corrected others, as well.